9 October 2013 Public hearing on Energy Efficiency as Serbia’s Developmental Potential

9 October 2013 Public hearing on Energy Efficiency as Serbia’s Developmental Potential

Wednesday, 9 October 2013

Public Hearing Held on Energy Efficiency as Serbia’s Developmental Potential

Today, the National Assembly House hosted the Second public hearing on Energy Efficiency as Serbia’s Developmental Potential, organised by the Committee on the Economy, Regional Development, Trade, Tourism and Energy, in cooperation with the Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence.


Welcoming the participants, Aleksandra Tomic, Chairperson of the Committee on the Economy, Regional Development, Trade, Tourism and Energy, highlighted the important role the Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence and German Academy for International Cooperation (GIZ) played in the organisation of the gathering.

Addressing the participants of the gathering, Sonja Licht, President of the Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence, stressed that energy efficiency is the most effective and lucrative key element of development adding that energy efficiency would be difficult to achieve without the public sector, media and investment.

Minister of Construction and Urban Planning Velimir Ilic said that Serbia wastes energy and has the highest energy consumption per capita in Europe. He opined that energy efficiency is a big opportunity for Serbia because it can lead to a decrease in the import in that segment and to the employment of 100 to 200 thousand people, and asked that funds be secured for energy efficiency in the budget law. Expert reports show that we could save up to 40% of energy, said Ilic explaining that the construction of energy efficient buildings would in turn mobilise the national building industry and building material industry. Reminding that the new law on planning and construction, currently put to public debate, stipulates that the construction of new buildings necessitates an energy passport, Ilic said that 179 energy passports have been issued so far, 1025 engineers can sign that kind of project and added that the construction of buildings which fail to meet these requirements would not be permitted.

State Secretary at the Ministry of Energy Dusan Mrakic said that it was true that the energy consumption in Serbia is three times higher than in Croatia and Romania and the countries in the region, and five times higher than in Germany and Denmark. However, he stressed that Serbia has indeed done something to increase energy efficiency listing a series of programmes conducted in the past few years. Mrakic also reminded that the Law on Rational Use of Energy has been passed in March of this year, which defines the fund for the purpose, adding that the second Energy Efficiency Action Plan has just been completed.

The participants of the public hearing was also addressed by Wolfgang Schϋtt, leader of the German Academy for International Cooperation (GIZ) project Energy Efficiency in Serbia, who stressed that energy efficiency cannot function without a good economy. That is why any law on energy efficiency needs to be adopted with the goal of developing domestic economy and resources, said Schϋtt.

In the continuation of the public hearing, Prof. Dr Petar Skundric, member of the Committee on the Economy, Regional Development, Trade, Tourism and Energy, spoke of the energy efficiency development projects realised so far. Speaking of the need to rationalise the consumption of electric power, Skundric said that building design and construction has the potential for an annual savings of 160 to 200 million EUR, and cutting losses in the distribution of electric power would result in 140 to 150 million EUR of savings. That means that, by reforming the field, Serbia could save more that 300 million EUR a year.

Concluding the public hearing after the discussion, Aleksandra Tomic, Chairperson of the Committee on the Economy, Regional Development, Trade, Tourism and Energy, invited all concerned parties to send the Committee their ideas, proposals and suggestions and announced that the conclusions made at the public hearing would be communicated to the Committee.

The public hearing was also attended by the members and deputy members of the Committee on the Economy, Regional Development, Trade, Tourism and Energy, MPs, representatives of the relevant ministries, representatives of local self-governments included in energy efficiency projects, the civil sector and expert public.


Committees related to this activity


Video (1)

Wednesday, 9 October 2013 | javno slušanje: Energetska efikasnost kao mogućnost razvoja Srbije 09.10.2013.



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thursday, 28 march
  • 9.00 - consultations of representatives of the parliamentary groups about the election of deputy chairpersons of the National Assembly working bodies (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, hall 1)

  • 10.00 - visit of the students of Stevan Dukic Elementary School to the National Assembly House (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square)

  • 11.00 - visit of the students of Drinka Pavlovic Elementary School Student Parliament to the National Assembly House (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square)

  • 11.00 - press conference of the Green-Left Front – Don’t Let Belgrade D(r)оwn Parliamentary Group (National Assembly House 13, Nikola Pasic Square. Central Hall)

  • 13.00 - the National Assembly Speaker meets with the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the Republic of Serbia (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, Speaker’s Cabinet)

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